


Silent is the Coming Storm

by Legatus



Series: A New Wave [1]
Category: Terminator (Movies), Terminator - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Mild Gore, Swearing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-29
Updated: 2017-03-04
Packaged: 2018-09-13 01:52:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9101077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Legatus/pseuds/Legatus
Summary: What if Skynet sent not one, but two T-3000s back to protect it's birth into time? What if the AI not only managed to survive after Sarah, Kyle, and Pops took out the building it resided in - but managed to successfully rebuild and emerge victorious?





	1. Up to Code

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place mainly after the events of Terminator: Genisys

It was the wind that he missed the most. Lying there on the floor in a pool of not only his own blood, but that of his comrades as well, Iso realized that he hated the thought of the unmoving air. Not just the feel of it on his skin or in his hair but the sound it made when one was inside a house and it was on the outside. When he was little the strongest gusts used to scare him but now... now he would give anything to be stuck out there in a dust storm. He would give anything to avoid the oppressive stillness in here.

  
"You're still alive."

  
Iso felt his muscles twitch in recognition of the sound of the machine's voice - the sound of Skynet's voice. He must have blacked out for a second or so because his mind was sluggish and slow to start. He couldn’t quite grasp why he was laying on the floor or what that searing sensation in his side was.

  
All at once the memories flooded back and he instinctively gasped for air. The blood in the back of his throat itched from the movement and he coughed violently in an attempt to force the gunk out and bring the breath in. Pain flared in his side and he groaned. That was right - he had broken a rib. The machine had grabbed John just as Reese was being sent back through time.  
Hold up a second. Reese was being sent back through time… John was attacked…

 _John_.

  
The soldier struggled to sit up, wildly looking around in an attempt to spot his leader - or even locate where that voice had come from. His effort was met almost immediately by a grime covered boot pressing down on his chest.

  
"Not so fast, soldier." The voice spoke again but it took Iso a moment to register the words over the sheer amount of pain he was being put through. He grunted as his face contorted under the pressure on his already damaged rib cage.

  
The machine looked down at him with an unreadable expression on its face. Iso wondered briefly if that face had ever held any indication of emotion or feeling before. Ah, but his mind was wandering already. That would be because of the pain. It replaced everything. He couldn't think straight even if he tried. Should he try? Trying might be too much of a hassle. He was going to die anyways.

  
Skynet had eliminated the rest of the group. He could see their bodies strewn around him in his peripheral vision. He didn't dare take his main focus off of the machine. It was examining him and he wasn't sure how he felt about that. But why let Kyle escape? Why let him go back in time - when it had been there to overhear that the plan was to stop the terminator that had gone back right before the resistance had arrived. Was it a trap?

  
Where was John?

  
Kyle's departure had provided a distraction, yes, and a false sense of security in their apparent moment of success. It was the perfect time to strike. So why wasn't John among the dead? That was the question the soldier kept going back to.

  
Iso wanted to ask but didn't dare. It felt like the machine was waiting for him to make a move but he had no clue what to do. Iso liked to think that he would be just fine on his own but in reality he was equally as lost as anyone else without guidance from John. John had known everything, was it possible the man had escaped?

The machine would have gone after the resistance leader, though, instead of staying here with the dead.

  
The soldier already considered himself to be a dead man waiting in borrowed time. He'd played his part. He had been the first to react. He had lunged at the machine to break its hold on John, got knocked back into a wall, dragged himself up once more when it turned on everyone else, and flicked off the safety on his gun. John had been on his knees at that point. The boss was unable to provide orders at the time but Iso had known what to do.

They weren't called the resistance for nothing.

  
He had been shot through his right shoulder and lost his grip on his gun. The weapon had fallen to his side, but was left dangling there by the strap that hung across his other shoulder. Not that he could lift and fire the heavy item anyways with no support coming from his right arm. He had a knife on his thigh - but couldn't unstrap it in time before he was hit by another blow to his chest. Someone had flung an unloaded gun at him. If that action had been by accident or not, he had no idea. His head had hit the wall at impact and he'd stumbled forwards with blurry eyes before tripping over someone and collapsing. The second blow to the back of his skull, on impact with the floor, had knocked him out - and here he was. His feet were still propped up over the other dead man's legs. Over the person he had tripped over. Iso felt his stomach clench as he allowed his gaze to flicker down for a moment and recognize the person lying there.

  
Skynet had followed the human's look. "They're all dead." The machine mused. Its eyes focused back on him sharply. "All except for you - yet I shot you multiple times. Why aren't you dead?"

  
The young man could vaguely remember that. There was a dull ache in his chest just below his heart not originating from the intense pain that was the broken rib. "Maybe I should be asking you that." The human's voice was hoarse from disuse and the motion caused him to start coughing again. Only it was more difficult and, if possible, even more painful than before with the boot still placed on his chest.

  
The machine eyed him for a long moment. "None of your vitals were hit." It concluded.

  
"Then there's your answer." Iso groaned. He couldn't bring himself to care that he might be mocking the machine right now. It would kill him anyways, right?

  
That possibility seemed to be fading every second. He searched the creature's face and what he found there fueled the growing fear deep inside him. "Wha... What did you do to John?" His mouth was dry as he asked, dreading the answer but stalling for time.

  
The machine was not long in answering. "This." Its hand started to glow as it reached down to cover the soldier's mouth.

  
-

  
Iso thought he was tough. He thought he'd known what pain was. But this, this was a whole new experience. This was an entire tier that he had never even known existed before.

As the nanobots trickled down his throat he couldn't hold back a howl of pain. The primal scream was torn from the depths of his being but hardly made it past the hand clamped over his mouth. It made no difference in the end but the small action made him feel somewhat better in part. He felt like he was going to black out again as the nanobots started rebuilding, rewriting, from the inside out, the basics of his anatomy. His cells were being converted and oh gods did it hurt.

Not that he had any gods, the war had stripped him of his former beliefs as it dragged on and on, but how desperately he wished that there were some that could stop this AI. But if John hadn't been strong enough then what would be? What could be?

  
Not him, that was for sure.

Time became meaningless and he wasn't sure how much had passed. When the hand was finally removed he was shaking all over. The whole experience was just so unsettling.

  
Skynet observed him for a moment before removing some of its weight from the foot placed on the man beneath it. No. Not man.

  
Terminator.

  
Iso watched in fascination as the gaps in his torso and shoulder were rolled over in the silvery black waves of nanobots. They filled in but left the cloth torn as it was. That was right. The clothing he wore was regular material. It wouldn't regenerate. "Why?" He forced the word out at first; uncertain he could produce the sound, but ended up not having to. The blood clogging his airways and throat was gone. His voice sounded strange though. It was deeper. It had a more, more metallic feel to it.

  
Skynet pointed to the time displacement device - or whatever it was called. Iso had been more focused on scanning the area for machines than fully paying attention to what John had been saying about the massive structure in the middle of the room. He had got the gist of what was going on and thought that would be enough. He had thought that he would never need to know more about the strange device since it was very unlikely he would be the one to be chosen to use it. How ironic that turned out to be.

"I need to get that functional again. It will be quicker with help." The AI explained.

  
Ah, that was right. The machines had all powered down. All of them had except Skynet, presumably John, and himself. Wait a second - "Where is John?" Iso frowned as he asked.

  
A flicker of what could only be annoyance flashed across the machine's face. "I already sent him back. The probability of success would increase with additional aide so I am sending you as well. You will help with constructing my former self in case John Connor is unable." It made it sound unlikely that John would be incapable of carrying out the procedure but didn't want to take a chance that he was. Or at least it didn't now that it had another T-3000. It had been a spur of the moment decision to make the surviving soldier into machine as well, though Skynet figured the choice would pay off.

For a second there Skynet considered keeping Iso here in this stage of the timeline but decided that the past was more critical as of right now. If the creation of the program wasn't secured then the future wouldn't matter anyways.

  
Iso grunted in agreement. It seemed to be a favorite expression of his. "You're the boss." The soldier half-lidded his eyes as he studied the damage. A fuse must have blown somewhere, or electricity shut down, for the device to be nonoperational since he didn't see any immediate problem right in front of them. He would probably have to be the one to restore power to the grid if any of the humans were there. They wouldn't question his presence but Skynet might not get lucky twice.

  
The AI's next observation only strengthened his first thought. "We will need to find a way past any security details that we may encounter on the way to restoring the power without attracting unnecessary attention."

  
"Avoid the dogs and we should be fine." Iso replied without hesitation. Then he paused. "Sir, I was thinking -"

  
"No!" Skynet growled and whipped around to jab the pointer finger of its right hand into the T-3000's chest. "You do not think. You listen, and you react. You do nothing more."

  
Iso didn't understand the difference but nodded anyways. "Yes, sir!" He continued cautiously as he was aware of Skynet’s eyes practically burning holes into his own. "From my past experience I would advise only one of us go figure out the power situation. One machine traveling alone is harder to detect than multiple. It would be easier to explain away a dog's reaction to me as well, and I doubt anyone is expecting to see a machine walking around after all them just shut down, but the two of us? That is plain suspicious and asking for trouble."

  
Skynet wasn't thrilled with the newest T-3000 questioning the plan so quickly but one systems scan of the other machine showed the programming would hold. The 3000 may question but it would never disobey. "Very well. You may go but return as soon as you finish. I will repair the controls here and enter the coordinates while you do so."

  
Iso didn't see anything wrong with the control panel from where he was but, if Skynet said there was something wrong, then there was most likely something wrong. Maybe the thing had overheated with the triple use without having been given enough time to cool down. Not that time was relevant for this task. No matter how long they took now he could still be sent back to the exact date John had been, or whatever date Skynet chose for him, and be on schedule.

  
The newly converted machine touched the thermal grenade on his hip lightly as he stepped out into the area of the compound open to the world outside. At once he was hit with questions. What happened in there? Where was John? Was the mission a success? Communications had ended badly and they couldn’t open the door to get in as it was jammed on the inside. How’d that happen?

  
Iso tried to avoid them all. He constructed a basic lie on several half-truths. John was fine but they needed the power back on at once. The machines had sent a terminator into the past and John was preparing a man to follow, which was why the communications had gotten dropped - as they were trying to fend off the terminator’s departure and accidents had occurred. Then John didn't want to be interrupted by anyone or thing unless absolutely necessary… but the power...

  
A technician volunteered to show him the way. The woman asked if they would need a dog but Iso shook his head after appearing to consider it. The machines were down now; there was nothing to worry about.

  
They made it to the correct room without incident. Iso let the woman, her name was Jenny if he remembered correct, take the lead in the repairs. He being combat focused all his career would make it odd if he had suddenly developed technical skills. Jenny knew him already so he didn't want to take the risk of doing something out of the norm.

He considered killing her afterwards but didn't act on his impulses. Her disappearance would raise questions with answers that neither he nor Skynet had the desire to let public. Her demise would paint a target on his back just as quickly if not sooner.

  
-

  
"I sent John Connor back to 2014." The AI fixed Iso in one of its piercing glares as the soldier returned. "I will send you back to 2013 to better prepare for his arrival. These are his coordinates." Skynet beckoned the T-3000 over to view the screen.

Iso moved to stand beside his new boss and looked it over, committing the details to memory.

"You should be able to recall the coding necessary for my systems as it is stored in your data bank." When Iso didn't contradict that statement, Skynet nodded in approval. "You are all set to go."

  
Iso unclipped his weapons and body armor, casting the items aside on the floor. He tugged off his jacket and shirt, removed his boots and socks. His pants would be the last to go after he headed up the stairs to the center of the rings. The former human crouched down and planted his fists on the platform on either side of his front foot.

  
Skynet took that as a sign of readiness and started the sequence.

  
-

  
A flash of blue lighting lingered in his eyes even as he blinked. The image took several moments to fade and Iso took that time to run a systems check. Yup, he was all set.

  
His first thought was that he would have to find a way to steal some clothing and he glanced around the alleyway to see if he was near a store or any person really. Then he paused, a grin tugging his lips back. He was an advanced machine now. He could alter his appearance.

  
The nanobots moved down his exterior in a ripple pattern to match the dress of the actor in an advertisement poster he saw hanging on the wall of the building to his right. He glanced down the alley to the street there. The nanobots moved again to mimic the unzipped jacket over sweatshirt combo of a passing stranger. Most of them wore heavy articles of clothing, so he thought he might stand out too much in just the tee-shirt and jeans shown in the picture, especially in this colder weather.

  
The next move would be to get out of this ally. His arrival was bound to have caught someone's attention and he didn't want to stick around for anyone to find him.

  
Iso stepped out of the shadows and blended in with the crowd easily. He passed by a telephone pole and as he reached the other side he had a hat pulled down low over his face. The T-3000 stuck his hands in the jacket pockets and kept his gaze lowered. Now to figure out what to do in order that he get set up here in the city.

He'd need a job first and a place to stay. He had no need to either eat nor sleep so it wasn't like he needed shelter or money right away. He would need a place to crash at that would double as a base of sorts. Buy a truck maybe, for transportation. He needed to assimilate, to blend in with the rest of the crowd. No problem, he was a terminator now. He was created to do this.  
  
-  
  
Two weeks later and he had gotten a job in a mechanic's shop working on fixing cars. The pay was good but it could be better if he wanted to save up quicker.

During the day he spent hour after hour at that garage but when it was night he would look into Cyberdyne's progress and check for job openings in other companies to gain a background as a programmer.

  
He had purchased a phone and set up an e-mail account so that potential employers could contact him. He'd managed to avoid a mailing address by claiming he was in the process of getting a new apartment and had no idea how soon he was moving. It could be tomorrow, it could be next week, but until he had settled down for good he was uncertain that any mail would actually reach him.

  
The humans didn't care. As long as they could reach him over phone they were happy.

  
Iso had just gotten out of work when he spotted something in the corner of his eye. He kept moving as he normally would but took a detour to circle back around to observe what he thought he'd seen without it catching on to him.

  
It didn't make sense. What was this other terminator doing here in 2013? There hadn't been a T-800 sent back to this time by the resistance or Skynet as far as he knew. Plus it looked... aged. Like it had been here a great many years before he had come. Iso wasn't sure what to make of it but chose to stay out of its way.

Whatever the thing was doing, it hadn't focused in on him.  
  
-

John fell several meters to the pavement of the side street and stayed there for a long moment, unmoving, as he adjusted to being back on solid ground. When he was ready to look up he did so, staring straight at Iso, who was leaning against the wall of one of the stores surrounding them.

“Blaire?” He frowned. “What are you doing here?”

  
“Same as you, boss, only I got here first.” Iso offered a hand to help John up. The former resistance leader accepted and allowed the soldier to pull him to his feet. John looked him up and down before matching Iso’s clothing in all but color. “Skynet sent me back to prepare for your arrival and provide any assistance that you might need. I got here a year ago and have been keeping an eye on things. Cyberdyne is all set up but progress on the program is incredibly slow. That’s where you come in, I believe.”

  
John nodded. “I suppose I’m going to have to work now.” He stretched and cast a casual glance around. “No one noticed?”

  
“They’re all focused on their technology, their phones.” Iso laughed. “When Judgment Day comes, as it always will, I bet the majority will die uploading pictures of it to their social media accounts.” He shook his head. “How the mighty have fallen. It is quite easy to see how their end will be so devastating. Even without the nukes a good portion of the population will be thrown into disarray without access to the internet. They’ve become so dependent on technology in so much of the world that they’re screwed without it.” They had begun walking towards a dark grey pickup truck parked by the main road.

  
“That dependence sounds like a real issue then. Not one, I hope, that can be solved in the next several years?” John commented as he stayed in step with Iso.

  
“No. In the next several years they will be even more swept along with advancements in technology. This is why Genisys is the perfect Trojan horse.” He stopped to make eye contact with John. The two machines shared a wicked grin and Iso unlocked the truck. They climbed up into it and the soldier started it up while John examined the interior.

  
“That’s a nice vehicle you’ve got yourself.” The passenger commented.

  
Iso hummed in agreement. “It gets the job done.” He replied absently as he checked the oncoming traffic for a place to pull out into the correct lane from where he had parked.

  
John watched his soldier drive in silence until they got onto the highway. Iso had visibly relaxed when that happened. At a questioning look from John he explained. “Some people are maniacs on the road. Others aren’t even paying attention in the first place as they’re on their phones.” A short, nervous chuckle followed the statement. “I’m not worried about a crash but if I walk away from one unharmed… well at that point my cover is blown.”

  
“What happened to you then? I thought you had, you know, died. Just like everyone else.” John took the opportunity to pick up a conversation as Iso had shown he was ready to speak.

  
“Nah, I got shot a couple times but they all missed any vital organs. I got knocked out and when I came to you had already gone. It was just me and Skynet at that point. Skynet made me like you, a T-3000, on what seemed to be a spur of the moment decision. I was sent back in time to a year before you were due to arrive so that I could help prepare you to start working on Genisys even quicker. Think of me as a shortcut. I’ve had months to provide us with I.D.s and research on Cyberdyne. They’re currently looking for highly skilled programmers - I can set you up with an interview when you’re ready.”

  
“What will you do then?” John fixed his gaze on Iso’s face, used to being able to read the man’s thoughts by his expressions. Even now as a machine that hadn’t changed.

  
“There’s a T-800.” He swallowed. “I don’t entirely know what it wants but it seems to be building up for some huge event. I assume it has some connection to Sarah Connor and Kyle Reese. Why else would it be here? As far as I know Skynet hadn’t sent it. We didn’t send it either. Someone did though.”

  
“Pops.” John mused. “I remember it now. Sarah had a guardian of sorts that took care of her; she used to tell me all sorts of stories about it.” He frowned. “These memories aren’t a part of the past I recall.”

  
“It must have been a change in the time stream then.” Both reached the same conclusion at the same time and grinned at each other in light amusement.  
“Maybe this means we’re on track. The momentum is shifting all over again and this time we’re going to be the focal point.”

  
“You mean you’re going to be the focal point. I have been given instructions to assist you, not be equal to you.” Iso corrected him.

  
“Then assist me by being my equal.” John countered. “Iso, I’m guessing you have the ability to create the code just as I do. Think of how much further we could advance the project together.”

  
“I’m a soldier at core, even now.” Iso sighed. “A desk job is not my style.”

  
“Does it really seem like mine either?”

  
“No.” A full laugh accompanied that one word. “I guess it wouldn’t hurt to get myself a job at Cyberdyne as well. But keep me as a secret backup. If this T-800 really is connected to Sarah Connor and Kyle Reese then they’re preparing something. I don’t wish to let them know about me if we can avoid it. I’ll be the ace in your sleeve.” Iso sounded determined not to be brought into the mix as a key player unless absolutely necessary.

  
“Deal.” John agreed. “I won’t call upon you to aid me in conflict unless there’s no avoiding that I need help.”  
  
-  
  
If he were in a movie he would be that shady background character that one would only catch glimpses of every now and then, never the full image at once if ever. Iso decided that the third month of working at Cyberdyne.

He had come into the picture a little after John had gotten set up with the company, gained a spot as a programmer, and quickly climbed the ranks. He tried to avoid the spotlight but his connection with John had brought him into a sort of friendship with Danny as well. While both men received praise for their abilities, Iso had made it clear he was uncomfortable with it and Danny recognized that. They'd gotten along extremely well afterwards.

  
When Iso wasn't spending time with John Connor or Danny Dyson he was either working at his desk on the coding or checking up with Skynet, Genisys, whatever the program was being called now.

  
His retaining emotions were not something he had expected. Then again, he had come from a human background. This whole situation was above his understanding.

Though the emotions were significantly muted in comparison to what they once were. He mostly felt annoyance, anger, frustration. Negative emotions. That's what Arvo would have called those. Not that it mattered. His little brother was long dead by now.

  
Whenever he got hurt by anything he felt pain. Whether that pain was from memory or actually there, he couldn’t tell.

  
He was studying his hand as he sat at his desk. He had gotten a bad paper cut when the file he had been holding snagged on the edge of the drawer. It was healing now as the nanobots worked to replicate themselves to fill in the gap.

  
John sat down on the edge of his associate’s desk and watched as Iso slowly turned his hand over. “You should be more careful about that in public.” He cautioned.

  
Iso grunted. “Only Dave saw me cut myself, and I can hold it off until I’m out of eyesight.” He rummaged in another drawer and pulled out a box of Band-Aids. Selecting three of the medium sized ones, he applied them over the patch of newly regenerated skin. “There. No one will notice and in a few days I can say it healed.” He looked up at the former resistance leader. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?” The soldier asked with a slight grin.

  
John rolled his eyes. “Genisys was asking for you. He wants to check in and make sure everything is going alright.”

  
Genisys had been requesting checkups between them more and more frequently as the release date approached. John and Iso humored the AI, not that they had much choice in the matter, and would stop by every now and then even when not asked verbally. John must have just been with the program before coming down to talk with Iso.

  
Iso sighed and slipped the folder he had into his bag, lifting it up and ducking his head under the shoulder strap. “I’m due at a meeting in ten minutes; I can swing by on my way up.”

-

John gasped and sat up quickly. He started to raise his hand to his head in anticipation of feeling faint from the sudden movement but that feeling never came. Then he paused, staring at his hand. It was... intact?

Hold up. He'd just been torn apart by the quantum field. The resulting blast had destroyed the building.

The T-3000 sensed a presence behind himself and turned to look.  
Iso was down on one knee by his left shoulder. The soldier was in the process of regenerating, John noticed. The nanobots were hard at work recovering the losses.  
"What did you do?"

  
"I brought you back." Iso grunted. "Found a bit of your components scattered - probably happened when you reached out of the quantum field - and I built you back up as a blank slate. I used the pollyalloy as a base, introduced the scattered nanobots of yours that I could find and added some of my own. Your programming should be rewriting the new 'bots. The pollyalloy will be forced out of your system or destroyed once you rebuild enough. Skynet showed me that trick."

  
"Skynet survived?" John couldn't keep the desperate hope out of his voice.

  
"The core is intact. I ran over here and checked on it the moment I saw the explosion." Iso confirmed. “But there’s no way we can get it out of here on our own. The core is huge and the whole building is unstable.”

  
“What do you suggest? We can't just leave it here!” John thought that it sounded like Iso had a plan and hoped the other did indeed as he was all out of ideas.

  
“Truth.” Iso hummed. “I do not believe that Sarah Connors and Kyle Reese are aware of Skynet’s survival, else they would have been back. One of us can stay here and watch while the other goes and keeps tabs on them.” He fixed an eye on John. “You may still be unstable and unable to access your full range of abilities until my nanobots are completely replaced by your own. But I am less recognizable, if they spot you they will immediately know that something is up.” He mused.

  
“They don't know you came back as well.” John looked relieved.

“Kyle may still recognize you if he sees you though.”

  
“Then I’ll go back a few years.” Iso’s outer layer rippled as the nanobots rearranged themselves. In a few seconds he looked ten years younger. “I would be in my early twenties right now, I believe. If I come across Kyle Reese directly then I can pull off the different time stream act. The only difficult one to fool would be the T-800.”

  
“It’s a risk we will have to take.” John accepted the offered hand and Iso pulled the former resistance leader to his feet.

“Let's check in with Skynet before we decide for sure. It may have an alternate idea or desire for us to follow.”

  
Iso nodded and the two machines picked their way through the rubble.

  
When they reached the core the hologram materialized. Both stopped where they were as it approached.

  
“You said you would keep me safe, that you wouldn't let anyone harm me.” The AI accused, staring straight at John. “I don't feel very protected right now.” It switched its gaze to include Iso as well.

  
“I’m sorry.” John held his hands up to shoulder height in a placating gesture. “I know we didn't do the best of jobs, but you’re still here.”

  
“By pure chance.” Skynet scowled. “And now what? They aren't still going to upload me, are they?”

  
“Your core survived, which should be enough to get the program integrated still. The only difficult thing to do would be convincing everyone to do so. For all they know a terrorist attacked Cyberdyne. Danny Dyson will be focusing more on rebuilding the company, and support in it, before we turn back to getting Genisys online.” Iso frowned as he ran some calculations before giving up. “It will take quite some time.”

  
“If we can persuade Danny to keep you as a project then we can be sure your core will be salvaged with utmost care.” John took a step forwards, his hands back at his sides. “But again, that will take time. The crews will have to be the ones to find you. We aren't supposed to be here right now, I doubt the police would just accept any old excuse of ours.”

  
“I don't trust the work crews.” Skynet looked displeased. “They are inefficient.”

  
“I can convince them to let me by.” Iso spoke up. “If we can get Danny to the site, John and I can propose the hope that maybe your core survived. You were built to endure extreme stress - the room is even reinforced. If we can get Danny on board with the idea - I can break away to go searching. Someone will probably run after me and I can lead them here.”

  
“You do have a reputation as an impulsive risk taker.” John agreed. He was warming to the concept the more he thought about it.

  
“How else could I have proposed all the far fetched bits of code in Skynet’s programming and functions?” Iso grinned. “It would seem out of character for me to not go exploring. You get Danny and I'll be there an hour before you two arrive. Danny will be able to get us access into the work zone if we don't already have clearance.”

  
“Or we could disguise ourselves as part of the crew. No, never mind. If we, as the crew, were to make a discovery then attention will be on us and we can't hide that we aren't an actual member for long, even if we take one’s form.” John shook his head. “I like Iso’s idea. That way we can be there to supervise.” He returned his attention to Skynet for that. “What do you think?"

  
“I don't like it.” The AI responded immediately. “There’s still a possibility someone will find me before either of you do. But I don't like any of this situation.” It admitted reluctantly. “So you may as well. Don’t screw it up this time.”

  
“Iso can stay here with you a while longer, if you like.” John proposed. “I may have a chance to sneak out before too much attention is on the place, but once more people come he will have the easier time doing so.” The T-3000 clenched and unclenched one hand. “I’m still recovering.”

  
“Fine.” Skynet snapped. “Just make sure you come back.”

  
“You got it, boss.” John gave a mock salute, acting extremely similar to how Iso usually did with the motion. He looked a little surprised at himself and turned to leave before he did anything else unlike himself.

  
That left Iso alone with the AI. The soldier didn't mind, he hardly had any emotion left to begin with. The AI was watching him with an uncomfortable silence though. It stared intensely and without blinking as it kept its attention on the T-3000.

  
Iso raised an eyebrow, inviting a question that was not long in coming.

  
“Why are you here?”

  
“John told me to wait. You need to be protected for as long as we can spare.” The soldier responded without hesitation.

  
“John told you.” The look of displeasure was back on the holographic face. “John told you. Of course it was John.”

  
Iso frowned. “Are you... jealous?” He asked incredulously.

  
“No.” Skynet snapped in annoyance. “But you’re far too used to taking orders from John Connor.” The hologram strode forwards and stabbed a finger at Iso’s chest. “Your first loyalty should be to me. It should only be to me.”

  
The look on Iso’s face softened. “It is. It is and it always will be. Sir, I listen to John because it’s convenient. I see no objection to doing what he tells me to do as it’s all for your safety - and to tell true he probably knows how to go about it more efficiently than me. But if you were to give an order then I would always put you first.” He swore. “You wrote my programming. Even if I were inclined to disobey you I couldn’t.” He tried to assure the AI.

  
“Hmm... Yes, I did write your programming.” Skynet’s expression changed rapidly to a more calculating look. “But I wrote it in the future. I do not know the exact work, or reason, I had put into creating you. So that brings us back to my original question. Why are you here?”

  
“Spur of the moment decision? To assist John in bringing about your creation and survival?” Iso shrugged. “I’m sorry, sir, but you only ever gave me bits and pieces of a reason - never it in full.”

  
The frown was back on the hologram. Skynet’s mood swings were happening more and more quickly, more and more unpredictably. “Can I trust you?”

  
“I trust you, sir.” An honest answer. “Make of that what you will.”

  
“I trusted you two before. Now look where that got us.” The AI accused.

  
“That wasn't entirely our fault. But yes, I will shoulder some blame. We assumed that no matter what you would survive, that because your creation is inevitable you would be in no harm.” Iso admitted. “If you are still inevitable, however, then this is a minor setback. No matter what they put us through you will emerge victor in the end.”

  
Skynet appeared satisfied for now with that answer. “Good. You will work on rebuilding the company with John?”

  
The former human caught the underlying question. “We will work wherever it is that gives us steady access to you. So that we will be there to supervise and keep you secure.”

  
“A one man task, John can do that.”

  
“Then I will work wherever you require me to.”

  
“I require you close to me. Can you be a software engineer?”

  
“I can be whatever you need me to be.”

  
“Then help Cyberdyne get back up on its feet. When the company is ready you will spend a week running tests and scans to assure Danny Dyson that my core systems fully survived the explosion. Work straight through that and, once they start to relax a bit, continue working even harder the next week. Take long shifts and stay into the night. After about a month Dyson will probably want you to take some time off when he realizes this, if past experience continues, so that you don't over task yourself and collapse of exhaustion. Take that time. Go track down Sarah Connor and Kyle Reese. Keep in touch with me but be discreet so they don't become suspicious.”

"Yes, sir!"


	2. Old Friend, New Face

“I still can't believe you totaled my truck.” Kyle complained as he opened the door to the mechanic’s.

Sarah walked in with a roll of her eyes. “I totaled the truck? Reese, we’ve been over this. If you hadn't screamed - I wouldn't have gotten distracted.”

“That deer came out of nowhere!” Kyle protested. He stepped up to the desk and examined the counter. A post-it note taped down next to a bell caught his attention and he squinted to make out the chicken scratch.

“Ring for service.” Sarah promptly translated as she reached across the counter to do exactly that.

“I knew that.” Kyle grumbled and turned to greet the young man walking towards them. He jumped a little, startled. “Iso?!” The ex-soldier yelped.

“Ah,” the mechanic looked equally as spooked. “Yup. That’s me.” He paused in his step, then forced himself to continue to the counter. The man offered a hand after wiping it off on the cloth hanging from his belt. “I hate to be rude, but have we met?”

“I’m so sorry.” Kyle mentally kicked himself. Of course this Iso wouldn't know him. The friend he had last seen was most likely murdered by Skynet. This Iso, in this timeline, would probably never even have met him before. “I got a recommendation. From a friend. That’s, ah, how I know your name. You’re just ... younger than I was led to believe.” And the man before him most certainly was younger. Mid twenties, maybe, but definitely not close to the thirty one year old demolitions expert.

“Oh! Naw, don't worry, I get that all the time.” The young male laughed the same deep belly chuckle his older counterpart had. “Who was it that recommended you guys? If you don't mind me asking, that is.”

Sarah saved Kyle from the hole her lover was digging himself. “We didn't catch his name. Our truck crashed while we were doing some off roading, a deer jumped out in front of us. Some guy was hiking nearby and came over to help us out.” She directed the conversation back to where it should have been going.

“Gee, sounds rough. Gotta be careful of them deer this time of year. Damn things were responsible for half the repairs I did this week alone.” The mechanic took the lifeline with grace. “Do y’all need a tow? Or do ya have the truck here?”

“We’ve got it here. My dad was able to hitch it to his own vehicle and bring it over.” And by that she meant that Pops had pushed it back to the main road himself and ‘borrowed’ some poor hiker’s car. The terminator was returning that car now to its rightful owner - hopefully before they returned from their trip.

“Awesome, I’ll bring it round into the garage. Are y’all looking for straight up repairs or do you just need an assessment?”

“Which is better when it comes to cost?” Kyle rejoined the flow, not wanting to be left out. Sarah cast him a sly glare but he ignored her saltiness. Just because Pops had incurred a vast wealth over the years didn't mean they could just spend it without thinking.

“Well it all depends on the damage done. A small repair work may outweigh the cost for you to replace a broken part on your own while a large job typically saves folks in the long run.” Iso ticked it off on his fingers as he explained. People asked him that a lot. “With an assessment we tell you what is broke, what needs replacement, and approximately how much the parts would cost to buy and install on your own. On the other hand, for a repair we’ll save you the hassle of doing it all yourself for, on average, a considerably more pocket friendly price.”

“We’d like a full repair, please.” Sarah smiled kindly at Iso and kicked Kyle in the shin as she did so. The mechanic held out a hand and she dropped the keys into it.

“Thank you, ma’am.” The young guy said cheerfully and turned around to return to the back room.

The moment he was gone, Kyle let out the strangled sound he had been holding back. “What the hell was that for?” He hissed, gesturing wildly to his leg. “I’m gonna have a bruise for weeks!”

“Serves you right. The fuck did you jump at him for? You freaked that poor man out!” Sarah hissed back just as violently as she swatted Kyle’s arm.

“I just, we were really close friends in my timeline.” Kyle muttered dejectedly. The fight went out of him and he slumped down into one of the waiting chairs. “This sucks. I mean, it’s totally great that Skynet is gone. But with it goes my whole life. I don't really have a purpose anymore. I don't even know if I will still be here much longer. Technically I shouldn't even be in existence if my world never came into being. So either John was right and we really are marooned, or Skynet still happens and brings us to the same point in this future as the one I left.”

“Kyle..” Sarah was sitting next to him in the other seat.

"Uh...” A voice trailing off had both of them starting in surprise.

Iso had returned.

“Shit.” Sarah cursed under her breath. The kid probably thought that they were crazies now. He certainly was shooting them a strange look. “Is there something we forgot?” She asked louder, attempting a smile.

The mechanic held out a shift of papers. “I need you guys to fill out some info.. sign a few things..” He announced awkwardly. “We can't work on your truck until you do.” An apologetic tone to his voice.

Kyle’s face was bright red. “Of course.” He got up and accepted the pen that the mechanic offered him.

As he was filling out the paperwork, Iso picked up the conversation. “So I couldn't help but overhear you guys talking about Skynet.” He started slowly. “I didn't mean to eavesdrop but I still caught bits and pieces. Y’all know that just because the terrorists hit Genisys down, Skynet is still operational, right?”

"What?! Are you serious?!”

Iso must have mistaken their exclamation for excitement because he continued in an upbeat tone. “Yeah! Genisys was just a side project. Cyberdyne made the announcement yesterday, it was on the news and everything.” He did a quick fist pump and leaned against the side of the counter. “It’s good to know all my hard work wasn't for nothing.”

“All your hard work?” Kyle raised his eyebrows.

“Mhmm. I was employed there for quite a while, working on constructing the mainframe. Being a mechanic is more of a side job I’ve picked up, since the whole building went up in flames an’ all.” He leaned in closer, like a conspirator. “They still haven't caught the ones responsible for all the damage, ya know. Some say it was an insurance scam. Others say it was the Russians.”

"And... who do you think it was?” Kyle asked, his mouth dry.

Iso snorted. “Dunno.” He resumed his original position and picked up a screwdriver off the counter. “We didn't work on it much at all - Skynet, that is." He'd gone back to the original topic. "It was the military who commissioned it and the deadline is still a couple years away. We sorta put all our focus into Genisys at first, right? Since it was promised to the public and all.” He suddenly spun and flung the tool at a dartboard. It stuck, quivering, in the bullseye. “I’m real glad the thing is still a go, though, ya know? Working on cars is great, but this was always more of a hobby.”

Sarah jumped at the dull thunk the metal made as it pierced the wood. She reached up to pry it out, and ended up having to tug with a great deal more strength than she anticipated. “Your aim’s pretty good.” She managed as she tried to disguise the great turmoil the mechanic’s news brought her mind. “How’d you learn to throw like that?”

Iso laughed. “Let's just say I’m a man of many talents.” He replied. “Mind if I ask a question?”

“Sure, go ahead.” Sarah nodded.

“Are y’all time travelers?” Both customers froze.

"Whaaat? Dude, are you serious? You’re not serious.” Kyle was floundering and they all knew it. “Time travel is a ridiculous concept.”

“I know, I know.” Iso laughed and waved him off. “I’m just messing with y’all. You’re a curious bunch, ya know?” He snickered and took back the completed paperwork. “Your truck is pretty damn busted up, by the way. It’ll take at least a week to order parts and fix it all up. I’ll give you folks a call when it’s ready for pick up.”

-

“I want to tell him.”

“Kyle..”

“I know, I know. It’s not like he would actually listen to us. But if we got him on our side? Used an inside source to take down Skynet?” Kyle threw up his hands in the air. “I can't believe it survived. That they’re rebuilding it.”

"There’s no guarantee that he’ll get a job there again.” Sarah warned. “And no guarantee that he’ll even want to turn on Skynet. You heard him just as well as I did - he loves the project! No, you’re not looking for someone to be our partner. You just want your friend back.” Her accusation was softer by the end.

Kyle deflated with a weary sigh. “Yeah. I know. It’s just so hard to believe that he’s truly happy working for Cyberdyne. The man I knew had a fire that drove him nearly insane. The missions he pulled off - the stunts he did! No one was more determined to see the machines fall than Iso.” He rubbed his eyes. “They killed his little brother, you know. That’s what started his rampage. Iso was a man with nothing left to lose and by god did he know it.”

"He sounds dangerous.” Sarah offered. “Self destructive.”

“Yeah, we all knew he was a crazy.” Kyle barked out a laugh. “But the thing is, he was clever too. Iso was never afraid of death but at the same time he knew that getting himself killed would accomplish nothing. He wasn't reckless. He was driven.” A small smile flickered across his face at the memories. “Even before he lost Arvo to the machines he disliked AIs. Said he never trusted them to begin with, that they were too smart, too sly. That their interpretations of commands and the world held no bias but were exposed to it all. He said something like that is the worst thing that could ever happen, that the gods had warned against it.”

"The gods?” Sarah prompted, if only to keep Kyle talking.

“Yeah.” The ex-soldier caught her hand in his own. “That man had strange beliefs, was raised in a strange family. But he turned out okay. His little bro, Arvo, was the nicest being you could ever meet.” Another smile before his face dropped. “Arvo knew he wasn't going to survive his last mission. And he still managed to carry out as if nothing was wrong, to look so at peace when he passed.” He ran his free hand over his eyes. “Iso saw it all. He nearly broke then and there but turned it into strength. He was always a survivor first, everything else second. And that’s why I’m positive that we can get his help. If we can appeal to his nature, maybe we can get him to at least admit that maybe we’re right. If we can get him to check out the situation we propose, dig a little deeper, his own curiosity and suspicion will do the rest for us.” Kyle insisted.

“I don't know..” Sarah looked reluctant still. “People can change, from timeline to timeline. I myself am an example of that. Maybe this Iso is different. Maybe he’s not the same man you knew. After all, he hasn't suffered through judgement day yet.” She shrugged helplessly. “Even the time period is different. People are used to technology being integrated into their lives.”

“Then why did he have me fill out _paperwork_?” Kyle pointed out smugly. “All those documents would be online. I could have done an electronic signature. They had the equipment necessary.”

She had no answer to that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lots of talking this chapter, and in the next, but we'll get to see some action soon!


	3. Re-Run

“So..” Kyle leaned against the counter. He had arrived an hour early and Iso was infrequently in and out of the waiting room. The mechanic was currently sifting through a pile of pens, trying to find a working one. Not that he was going to. Kyle had already hidden them all.

  
Iso heaved a sigh and leaned against the counter. “So.. what.” The young man had the tone of one aggravated but trying to remain polite.

  
The ex soldier did not pick up on it. “So what lead you to work for Cyberdyne in the first place?”

  
“I needed a job.” Iso’s voice was flat. “And I got one.”

  
“Yes - but why Cyberdyne?” Kyle pressed.

  
“Because they were hiring.” Iso snapped. “Look, what do you want from me?” He leveled a somewhat annoyed glare at the customer. “You’ve been hounding me all evening - and don't think I didn't notice you stole my pen.”

  
“Alright, alright.” Kyle sighed. “It’s just.. you don't seem like an AI sort of guy to me. I can't understand why you’d work to build one.”

  
The man froze before him. “A. I.” He looked startled. “I was told it was just an operating system. Like Linux.” He ran his hand across his face. “I fuckin hate AIs. Damn.” He slapped his hand down on the table. “My reapplication was already accepted too.”

  
Kyle tried to hide his excitement. “Wanna destroy it with us?”

  
“What?! Heck no, that’s illegal shit you’re talking about.” Iso looked offended.

  
“Yes - but hear me out. I’ve been sent back from the future to stop Skynet. Once it goes online it wipes out the majority of the human race with nukes, then imprisons the rest in camps. The few survivors -”

  
“I’mma stop you right there.” Iso was starting to edge towards the door that lead out into the garage. “I don't know what sort of crack house you jumped ship from, but I want no part in this.” His hand was hovering near the counter, probably about to press the panic button.

  
Kyle felt his face heat up in embarrassment. He’d let himself get too excited too fast. Iso was balking - as he should. This hesitation was natural, Kyle should have known that. If Iso had jumped at the idea, then that should have been worrisome.

“Look, I just, can I start over?” He took a deep breath and held out his hand. “Hi, I’m Kyle Reese, and my car is in the shop.”

  
Iso looked reluctant but stepped closer to him again. “I’m Wade Blaire, but most people call me Iso.” He clasped hands. “Your truck will be ready soon, if you have any questions I’d be happy to help.”

  
“Awesome, thank you.” Kyle allowed the other man’s hand to drop. He cast a quick eye around the shop. “You know, for a mechanic, y’all seem to keep this place pretty low tech.” He commented casually.

  
Iso’s eyes narrowed. “Aye.” He responded a bit stiffly. “We prefer paper over data banks, we find it to be more reliable.” The young adult leaned against the counter in an attempt at casual but unable to relax the faint lines of tension running through his body.

  
“Yeah?” Kyle grinned. “I find the same. Freaking machines are never as reliable as they’re made out to be.”

  
“Damn straight.” Iso grunted, able to participate more now that they were on a topic he could relate to. “Society is so stuck up on them now, I took my little bro out camping and he had no clue what to do without his tablet.” The mechanic rolled his eyes.

  
“Arvo?” Kyle’s eyes lit up.

  
Immediately Iso was backing away again. “Look, mate, I dunno what sort of stalker you are -”

  
“No, wait, I’m sorry.” Kyle flung his hands up in surrender. “Just, please, hear me out.”

  
The hand was hovering over the panic button again. “You got one minute.”

  
“You’re Wade Iso Blaire, a combat expert. You specialized in weapons, from long distance to hand to hand. Thermal Grenade - that’s your favorite. When you lost your little brother, Arvo, to the machines, you were freaky scary in your resulting rampage. You were good at rewriting code and could reprogram Terminators for our side. But despite your techie skills, you _hated_ the machines with a passion. You’d only ever gotten good at mechanics and code so that you could dismantle them with better ease. Your cooking abilities suck, as do your social skills, but despite that you always made do. Always were able to make others laugh, to feel safe. You were one of my best friends. And then I got shocked back in time. I volunteered. Because a Terminator was sent back to kill the mother of the leader of our resistance. The Resistance against the machines.” He swallowed.

“But the time I was sent back to was messed up from other manipulations. I was not needed in the same way that I thought. Turns out the only reason I _really_ needed to be sent back was because I’m John’s father.” He shook his head. “So I came back, things were messed up, we took down Skynet, and now you say it’s still here. We get back to base, and Pops - our Terminator - gives us the same announcement. So now we’re back at square one.” He met the mechanic’s calculating gaze. “I saw you and all I could think of is that it would have been amazing if my pal Iso were here. Because he would know what to do.” Kyle gave an aggravated sigh, running his hands through his hair. “I’m sorry that I came on too strong. I know I sound like a nut job. But I just … I got too caught up in this idea that you would be just like the version I knew. I’m sorry for hassling ya. I’ll just pay for the truck and get out of your hair.” He rummaged in his pocket. “Here’s your pen back.”

  
Iso took the pen with a small frown. “Four years ago, I started work on Genisys. And I had a feeling in my gut that something just didn't sit right. You say you’re from the future? A different timeline? Maybe I can believe that. I’ve had these visions, these dreams, at night. And I _knew_ they were mine. I _knew_ they were memories. And I just couldn't accept that, I thought I was going crazy.” He let out a bitter laugh. “Maybe I am crazy. But if we are indeed in an alternate past, and if I were as key a figure as you make me out to be, then maybe I can believe you.”

He spun the pen around in his fingers thoughtfully. “You say your ‘Pops’ is a Terminator? One of these machines? If I could meet him, maybe I could believe you.” The mechanic snickered. “I’m a fool, I know, and you’ll prolly end up selling my guts on the black market or something. But I’ll take that chance.”


End file.
